Photo by Eddo Hartmann
Photo by Eddo Hartmann
Sonja van Hamel is a singer, songwriter, illustrator, designer -- an artist with many avenues of expression, all of which reflect her playful, adventurous spirit and contemporary design aesthetics.
Sonja graduated in 1999 from the Gerrit Rietveld Art Academy (Amsterdam). In the same year she formed the group Bauer together with Berend Dubbe (ex-Bettie Serveert). Their album “Can’t Stop Singing” (2000) won the prestigious Dutch Silver Harp Prize. Bauer mixed 1960s influences (Beach Boys, The Free Design) with contemporary influences (Stereolab, High Llamas) to form a sound with lush melodies, modern samples and electronic beats, and vintage electric piano, Mellotron and analogue synths. The group’s final album, “The Bauer Melody of 2006” was recorded live with the Metropole Orchestra, the most experimental radio and TV orchestra in Europe.
Sonja’s first solo project was “Winterland”, composed as the soundtrack for a film by Dick Tuinder, and released as an album in 2009. Her new album “Transcendental Man” produced by Ken Stringfellow (The Posies, R.E.M., Big Star) and JB Meijers (De Dijk, Solomon Burke) will be released on October 17th 2011 on Basta Music.
Sonja’s current musical presentation is a concept she calls “Draw Clips” -- the songs are illustrated by her own drawings that move and travel in time with the music, thanks to ingenious mechanical inventions by renowned photographer Eddo Hartmann. The result is a real time, live video accompanying Sonja’s live performance.
Sonja’s live band contains some talented musicians: producer Ken Stringfellow on guitar, keys and vocals, Diets Dijkstra (ex-Johan) on bassguitar, Annie Tangberg (Metropole Orchestra) on cello and Mark van den Driest (ex-Coparck) on drums. Sonja will sing and play her beloved Wurlitzer piano, more keys, including an exclusive instrument called “Guitaret”.
My new album TRANSCENDENTAL MAN produced by Ken Stringfellow (The Posies, R.E.M., Big Star)
and JB Meijers (De Dijk, Solomon Burke)
was released on BASTA MUSIC October 17th 2011.
Read some excellent REVIEWS & INTERVIEWS below! (Scroll down)
Listen to the single "395":
The Roman Empire - A duet with Ken Stringfellow
Hardly Justified - Written and played on a rare instrument called the "Guitaret"
Transcendental Man - Title song, inspired by documentairy about Philip K. Dick
Interview in German online Music Magazine GAESTELISTE (in german)
english version
Cool interview on Different Class radio, You and the Night and the Music with Adrian Arratoon! Interview with Sonja (at 1:12)
• Radio interview about my music and Draw Clips in KUNSTSTOF radio 1 (NTR)
• Interview 3voor12: Sonja van Hamel maakt papieren videoclips
• Review Krenten uit de Pop
• Belgium review DEMOFARM
• Read this very detailed and raving review by Cutting Edge (BE)
• **** review in VOLKSKRANT newspaper! (see below, click to enlarge)
• MusicFrom.nl review (see below, click to enlarge)
• MANIA review (see below, click to enlarge)
SONJA VAN HAMEL - WINTERLAND (2009)
Drawings by Dick Tuinder
Design by Sonja
Take a closer look at the booklet
I'm also on MySpace
You can order my cd here
In October 2009 we played a few shows at the Melkweg called WINTERLAND LIVE. The concept for these shows was developed by Dick Tuinder and myself. Dick made some beautiful paintings and screened fragments of his movie WINTERLAND during our live performance. He painted live and filmed a painted freeway and a cardboard book. Images and music blended together magically into an extraordinary show .
Read the Review in OOR
Click on flyer to enlarge.